Stanhope's been here before

An 0-3 start to the season can devastate a team's confidence, but what's keeping Stanhope Elmore optimistic is: They've been here before.

It was just last year the Mustangs started 1-5, and reaching the playoffs looked like an impossible feat. But a 21-10 win over Wetumpka was the spark they needed to win their final four games to make the playoffs.

When Stanhope hosts G.W. Carver for a Class 6A, Region 2 matchup, running back B.J. Smith said this could be the game that turns things around.

"We know we've been here before just last year. We have the talent to turn it around, we just have to put it all together and play as a team," Smith said. "It's definitely an important game, because it's the next one, and it can definitely turn our season around. We know if we go out here and do what we need to do to get this win, it can be the starting point to turn our season around and give us the momentum we need to make a playoff run."

Coach Jeff Foshee has no doubts the Mustangs are capable of turning it around, especially with a back like Smith. Smith has offers from Troy and Georgia State, and is coming off of a recent 200-yard performance against Northview.

"We give him a little room, sometimes we don't have to give him any room, just come off the ball," Foshee said. "B.J. Smith, I don't think folks around here know it, but he's the best running back – maybe the best football player – in the tri-county area. You've got a 4 star here, a 5 star here, but watch him play. The film doesn't lie."